


Not Like the Others

by Emery



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Psychology, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-07
Updated: 2013-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-14 06:19:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/833713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emery/pseuds/Emery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal Lecter is a high school psychology teacher, and Will Graham is perhaps his brightest and most unusual student. Lecter sees potential in Will,  and his curiosity eventually prompts him to try to draw Will closer to himself even when he knows he shouldn't have more than a professional interest in his student.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written in response to an anonymous request on Tumblr. It started as a drabble and turned into a short introductory chapter with a potential plot forming?

Hannibal Lecter could tell Will was different from the first day he stepped into his Principles of Psychology class. Although he was quiet, it was apparent that he didn’t think like the other children, didn’t interact like the other children, didn’t associate himself with the other children—not because he was a loner, but because he was _smarter_ than them.

He often stared off into distance during class, but Lecter didn’t mind. On the other hand, when other students didn’t pay attention, they were subtly humiliated for it. Lecter had a knack for calling students out without being cruel. He had a way of punishing them that was more of a silent, mental degradation than an insignificant detention slip or subtracted letter grade.

Will, however, was spared all of this, no matter his offense. Lecter appreciated the teenager in his classroom and found the expanse of desks and backpacks more beautiful when Will was in it. Despite the boy’s quiet demeanor, Hannibal could sense a change in the atmosphere of the room whenever Will was in it. It was brighter, more engaging, and then there was his _scent_.

Lecter could smell talent on Will. He could smell potential and brilliance and empathy in the young man, crisp, clean and lightly sweet. Even when Hannibal’s back was turned to prepare the whiteboard for class, he knew when Will walked in, and every day he had to force down a smile when he imagined the brown curls bouncing, the dark plastic frames, the light stubble that formed the beginnings of a beard meant more for a man than a high-school student. He imagined Will slinging his backpack off his shoulders and sliding neatly into the same desk he occupied every day—the left side of the classroom, one row back—before staring at the movements of his teacher’s back as words were written on the board in a neat and fluid script.

A firm believer in the damage of favoritism to the learning environment, Lecter had never once shown preference for one student over another—in the classroom, anyway. Privately, or in his office, was an entirely different story.

The question was casual, softly-spoken and unnoticeable to the other rowdy teenagers as they tumbled out of the room like a deranged herd of too-naïve sheep.

“Will, could you meet me in my office after your classes end today?”

Outside of asking questions in class, Lecter had never spoken to Will before, and it pleased the teacher somewhat to see surprise flash across the student’s face.

“Unless you have prior engagements, of course, in which case I certainly will not keep you.”

Will shook his head and slung his backpack over one shoulder as he approached the front of the classroom. “No, I don’t. I’ll come by.”

Lecter smiled and focused on straightening the stack of homework that had just been turned in so haphazardly all over his desk, but Will made no move to leave. It was obvious that he was scared, worried perhaps that he was in trouble, and as studious a young man as he was, Lecter felt it wrong to leave him in fear.

“Everything is all right—I only have a question about the last essay you turned in. It was quite good, by the way.”

Will’s smile as it spread across his face lit up the room and brought a smile to Lecter’s face when he raised his head to see it.

“Thank you, Mr. Lecter.”

The name rolled of Will’s tongue so smoothly. Whereas others often spoke their psychology teacher’s name with contempt or fear, the same was not so when Will was concerned. Hannibal had never heard the young man say his name before, but after the first time he knew that he would never be able to get enough.

“Don’t be late for your next class, Will,” Lecter said. Students in his next class began to file in one by one and take the seats that Will and his classmates had just left. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

_See you, smell you, hear you say my name again, praise you and train you to be like me._

Lecter was still thinking about Will when the school’s nerve-grating bell rang to signify the beginning of a new class period, and for the first time in his life, he found himself caught by surprise by the sound and mentally unprepared to teach his class. To have this kind of effect on him, Will must have been very special.

How special, though, Lecter would not know until later that afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was such an overwhelming positive response to my first chapter that I figured out a direction for the fic and decided to continue it after all. ^_^ I hope you enjoy!

Hannibal Lecter’s office was likely one of the nicest in the entire high school’s except, perhaps, for the principle’s. It was large and made to be comfortable, lit with soft, warm lamps that cast a red-orange glow over the luxurious leather couch and all its plush pillows, Lecter’s mahogany desk and its elegant name plate, and the two oversized chairs that matched the couch. An oriental rug of intricate designs and deep reds and purples lay spread across the floor, only adding to Lecter’s eclectic yet refined sense of interior design that displayed itself so proudly and uniquely around the room.

In the middle, Lecter sat in his high-backed chair, forearms resting on his desk and fingers interlaced. He overlooked his domain like a kind on his throne, waiting for the next subject to dare present himself, and that subject was Will Graham.

He knocked on the office door and peeked inside with all the timidity he usually displayed in the classroom, and Lecter had to assure the teenager again and again that there was nothing to worry about and that he wasn’t in trouble. His paper was fine, in fact it was brilliant, and Lecter wanted to encourage Will to submit a revised copy of the article to an academic psychology journal.

“But sir, I’m only in high school. Would a journal like that even _consider_ me?”

Lecter chuckled at Will’s disbelief.

“They will if I am listed as an author as well. Of course, you will receive all primary credit, but if I have your permission, I would like to work with you to edit it for publication. It’s fascinating, really, how you analyzed your chosen topic so thoroughly. I’ve never once seen a student think like you.”

The boy looked down at his teacher’s desk from where he sat in one of the chairs beside it, and Hannibal could see him shifting his eyes from line to line etched in the dark wood. “Some people think it’s weird. I get called crazy every now and then.”

Lecter raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair. “People here? Are you bullied?” For anyone to be bothering such a quiet, polite, and intelligent boy was simply unacceptable, and Lecter’s blood boiled at the thought.  Detention seemed an inadequate punishment for such a crime, but Lecter was more than ready to dish out whatever humiliation he could without being fired for unethical teaching practices. There was a dangerous subtlety about him that would certainly get the job done. His gaze didn’t stray from Will and wouldn’t until he had received a full explanation, but the boy continued to seem more occupied with tracing circles on the polished wood of the table than with fully explaining his situation.

“Will?”

“It’s not bad. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Really, it’s nothing.”

Lecter’s lips stretched in a disapproving grimace, but he knew as a man trained in psychology that it could be damaging to force information out of an unwilling patient.

“You aren’t fond of eye contact, are you, Will?”

Will smiled and shook his head. Even if Will hadn’t confirmed it himself, the answer would have been obvious from his unwillingness to look up even in answer to a simple question. Lecter found himself overly fond of the meek personality which sat before him. There was something about it that was both strong and moldable, and it was this bizarre combination which so fascinated Lecter and left him metaphorically panting for more of it.

“So what do you say? Would you like to work on this little project together and see if we can’t get you published before you’ve even entered an undergraduate institution? It would be quite the accomplishment, you know. I can count on one hand the people who have ever been able to do it. Just think of how eyecatching it would look on your resume.” With something so special on Will’s college applications, in addition to his stunning classroom performance, Lecter knew with certainty that the child would have an excellent chance of success in any school he chose to attend. He found himself wondering what the young man before him would eventually become and if he would be interested in pursuing a career in psychology himself.

It was a more-than-pleasant sight when Will finally looked up at his teacher and his mellow blue eyes met Lecter’s for the first time during their meeting. “I’ll do it. As long as you think I can.”

While Lecter found Will’s lack of self-confidence slightly disconcerting, he knew that it was nothing that couldn’t be fixed with time and a bit of pushing. Once he sat Will down and began analyzing his thoughts with the boy, it would become more and more obvious to both Lecter and Will himself just how intelligent he was. “I know you can, Will. I have no doubt about it. There will be, however, a small amount of extra work on your part, if you believe you can afford the time to dedicate to it.” As he finished his sentence, Lecter rose from his chair and sauntered through the dim lighting of the office to a bookcase lining one of the walls. His eyes scanned for a moment until he reached what he had been looking for and pulled a volume from one of the top shelves.

“I’m not too heavily involved in after-school activities, so it’s fine. Honestly, I’d be grateful for something extra to keep myself occupied.”

“You get bored easily?” Lecter inquired.

Lecter heard Will shift against the leather of his chair at the question. “Not exactly. I just don’t like to _find_ myself bored. I don’t think it’s good for me.”

While most others would not have found any aspect of hidden meaning behind Will’s words, Lecter knew immediately that there was a secret motivation behind Will’s words. He found his mind to be immediately inflamed with curiosity. _Why_ didn’t Will like to be left alone with his thoughts? Was it all related to the analysis he had so accurately presented in his essay?

“That’s very mature of you to say, Will. It’s true that there is no benefit to entertaining an idle mind.” Lecter held out the book for Will to take, a hardcover book titled _The Abnormality Paradox_. “If you would, peruse through this whenever you find yourself with a free moment. It’s quite interesting, and I think you’ll enjoy it. It looks thick, but the time will pass more quickly than you think if you’re truly engaged in the reading.”

Will took the book with what appeared to be some level of eagerness and immediately asked, “What is it about?”

“As the topic of your essay—what will soon be your article—is abnormal psychology, I think it wise that you read some more detailed aspects of the topic. As much as I would like to, I simply can’t cover abnormal or criminal psychology in any level of appropriate detail in such a basic class as the one I teach, but this should provide some more insight as to the topic of your study. You see, the paradox of abnormal psychology arises because there are many things about the criminal or murderous mind that are _shockingly_ normal. It seems that you’ve already recognized this for yourself in your essay, at least at a basic level, but it is true that the majority of serial killers and other major criminal offenders appear even more normal than those of us who have never dreamed of harming another person in our lives.”

Lecter smiled and examined his desk calendar while Will turned the book over in his hands to examine the back cover with a look of rapt curiosity on his features.

“Do Monday and Thursday afternoons suit you? Of course, the development and editing of your article may take a while, but a few hours every week should suffice to start.”

Will met his eyes again, and Lecter took a deep breath at the sight of eager, cerulean blue eyes gazing up at him with an openness and ambition greater than any other student he had ever seen pass through the school. “I’ll be happy to. I’ll read as much of this as I can by Tuesday then.”

Lecter smiled his encouragement as Will snatched up his backpack and held his new book closely to his chest.

“Have a good weekend, Will. And don’t forget your other homework. I don’t want to be responsible for the suffering of your performance in other classes.”

The smile the young boy from Virginia offered up in response as he walked out the office door was simultaneously so sweet, genuine, and naïve that it made Lecter’s skin heat and his heart beat faster. The door shut behind Will and Lecter was left alone in his office again, a hand placed fondly over a copy of Will’s essay that lay on his desk.

The title page read, “A Killer’s Design.”


End file.
